China: Model Plantations Play Good Role in Guiding Tobacco Growing

Source from:  STMA 07/02/2004

The model tobacco plantations established in major tobacco-producing regions across China have played a good role in guiding the growing of high-quality tobacco that can be used as a substitute for imported leaf tobacco, surveys conducted by specialized fact-finding task forces show. So far this year, the tobacco industry of China has managed to establish 150,000 mu (10,000 hectares) of model tobacco plantations in 33 regions of 14 major tobacco-producing Chinese provinces, to demonstrate the application of new tobacco-growing technologies for producing high-quality tobacco that can be used as a substitute for imported leaf tobacco. Recently, China National Leaf Tobacco Production, Purchase and Sales Corporation under the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration sent fact-finding task forces to 11 of the 33 regions to conduct surveys on their situation and performance. According to results of the surveys, the model tobacco plantations have performed well in demonstrating the application of technologies for producing high-quality tobacco in partial substitution for leaf tobacco imports, in realizing industrial certification of leaf tobacco products and in the application of support technologies intended to achieve higher maturity of leaf tobacco. In conducting the surveys, the fact-finding tasks forces found out that tobacco production in the provinces of Hunan, Anhui, Fujian and Guangdong has entered the season of harvesting and flue-curing. In particular, tobacco is growing well in a number of regions in Hunan, Fujian and Anhui while field management of tobacco crops in regions in Hubei and Guizhou has reached a high level. Enditem